Mother
by FlamingSerpent
Summary: Where is my mother?" Zuko asked his father. The answer Zuko received was not what he expected to hear. His father didn't know where Ursa was. Now, how will Zuko ever reunite with his mother! After watching the finale, I got an urge to write this fanfic.
1. Chapter 1: Where is my mother?

A/N: After watching Avatar's Finale, Sozin's Comet, I knew that I needed to answer at least one of the unanswered questions. And, first off, I chose the matter of Ursa, Zuko's mother. I was so sure that she would appear, but sadly, she didn't. Here is the first chapter of my fanfiction about Zuko's quest to find Ursa. To be honest, I am not sure how long I will continue this story. Please read and review, and let me know if you want me to continue it. Thank you to all my readers!

"Where is my mother?"

The question was so simple, yet so important to Zuko, the new Firelord. He stood, facing his father who had stooped so low, lying from within the musty prison cell.

When his father didn't answer, Zuko asked again, more forcibly, "Where is my mother?!"

Ozai finally began to answer his question: "When I banished Ursa, I sent her…far, far… away."

"Where?!" Zuko was getting a bit impatient now, and angry. His father seemed to hestitate with his answer, and Zuko hoped that he wasn't lying.

"I sent some soldiers to force her out of the Fire Nation, and into the Earth Kingdom," the former Firelord said.

"Well, where in the Earth Kingdom?! Tell me!" Zuko demanded.

"I…I…" Now, the once Ozai shivered with something that seemed almost akin to fear. "I don't know."

"What?!" Zuko was shocked. _Surely he must know! _he thought in panic. _He banished her, after all!_

"I exiled Ursa. I do not know whether she survived under a disguise in the Earth Kingdom, or if she wandered around in the wilderness. I haven't heard anything about her ever since her banishment."

Zuko was speechless. He just stared in front of himself, into the middle distance, not at his father, or the jail cell, or the wall…or anything. Zuko just…stared. _This…this can't be happening! I become the Firelord, and my father is in prison, Iroh is back with me, but…but…my mother is nowhere. She isn't here! _

Zuko couldn't believe it. He was so sure that his father knew exactly where his mother was, since he had exiled her. Zuko let out a little cry of rage, and then spun on his heel, walking away from his father's prison cell. His father slumped down from behind the bars, his hair a pitiful, tangled mess, and his skin caked with dirt and grime. The once-great Firelord Ozai was now a bundle of shame and weakness. He couldn't even firebend anymore! It was definitely a big fall.

* * *

Zuko was now in Ba Sing Se with his Uncle Iroh, Mai, the Avatar, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Appa and Momo. Inside, his mind was in a rather tight, annoying knot; he was stressed out because he had no idea where his mother was. Zuko poured some tea for Uncle Iroh, and a little smile tinted his lips. He then gave a cup of tea to Toph, and then walked over to Katara to hand her a cup of tea as well. He was interrupted in his tea-serving by Sokka, however.

After some of the group yelled at Sokka about his painting of all of them, Zuko noticed the painting and made an annoyed comment about the way Sokka painted his hair. For a moment, the young Firelord forgot his worries about his mother.

"Well, I think you all look perfect!" Toph chimed in with her arms thrown up in the air! She looked pretty and sophisticated in her green-and-yellow Earth Kingdom attire.

Everyone laughed, even Zuko. But then, as things quieted down, Zuko felt a painful twinge. _My mother… _He wanted to find her so much, especially since this whole world was over. He didn't just 'want to find her.' He knew that he _needed_ to find her.


	2. Chapter 2: Start

Soon, people started to leave the building as night time approached. Iroh said to Zuko, "Hm…I think I might want to re-open my tea shop here. It is a nice place, don't you think?" Iroh nudged Zuko.

"Yes, Uncle," Zuko replied with a smile. "You should go now. I want to stay here a bit longer." Uncle Iroh whistled as he exited the building, obviously in a cheery mood. Most of everyone had already gone outside.

Zuko sighed; he still wasn't sure what to do with the situation of finding his mother. "Maybe she's in the Earth Kingdom. If so, I guess it'll be a good time to start searching. I'm in Ba Sing Se right now, after all…" Zuko murmured to himself.

"Hey, Hothead, what're muttering about?" Toph's loud voice came ringing in.

"Ah! I thought you left!" Zuko said, spinning around. Toph and Aang were still there; they were the only ones left. Well, Appa and Momo were waiting outside, but that was it.

Aang muffled his giggles as he said, "Hothead? That's Zuko's new nickname? That's even funnier than 'Zuzu!'"

Toph smirked and said, "Yup! So, what were you searching for?"

Zuko sighed, "My mother."

"Oh," Toph and Aang said in unison. Toph was never really close to her mom, so she didn't really mind not seeing her. And Aang never knew his parents; he only knew the monks who had raised him. But, both of them knew what Zuko must be feeling.

"I asked my father where she is…but he doesn't know," Zuko said.

"Do you have any leads?" Toph asked.

"I think she may be in the Earth Kingdom, but she could be anywhere…" Zuko's voice trailed off, and he was getting depressed by the sheer hopelessness of the situation.

"But you still gotta try to find her!" Aang shouted enthusiastically. "I am sure you can, if you look hard enough! You're the Firelord, after all! And, if your mom hears about you being the Firelord, I'm sure she'll come to see you!"

"But…" Zuko said. "That's the problem. What if she doesn't know? She could be in some deep wilderness for all I know!"

"I'll help you find her, then!" Toph offered. "Besides, I really need that life-changing adventure with you…"

"You already got it! When we were searching for Aang!" Zuko pointed out.

Toph stuck out her tongue and retorted, "That didn't count! It was bo-ring."

Aang piped up, "I'll help too!"

"Okay," Zuko said. He was really thankful inside, but tried to act indifferent. "We have to start searching then."

"Do you think we should all wear disguises?" Aang asked. "It may be harder to search for your mother if everyone knows you're the Firelord…"

"And you're the Avatar," Toph pointed out.

Zuko muttered, "You're right… Uh, and that just reminded me: what about my Firelord duties?"

"You could leave a note for Iroh, explaining why you're gone, and if he could take care of things for you," Aang suggested. "Also, I'm sure we'll find your mom soon. No one would miss us."

Zuko hoped Aang was right. The young Firelord cleared his throat and said, "Well then, how will we disguise ourselves?"

"New outfits; I dunno," Toph said. "I don't need a disguise do I?"

"I don't think so," Aang replied to Toph. Then, Aang said to Zuko, "I could wear a hood or a hat, and maybe a new outfit? And you could wear a new outfit, too!"

"But, what about my scar? Most people know I have this scar!" Zuko touched his scar gently with his hand.

"An eye patch?" Aang proposed. Zuko slapped his forehead into his palm, and Aang scratched his neck sheepishly. "Er… maybe you could somehow comb your hair in a way that would cover your scar? I don't know!"

"That's actually a good idea," Zuko complimented after a second of thinking.

"Really?!" Aang exclaimed.

"Just get on with it then!" Toph ordered, her face displaying her annoyance with the current discussion about appearances.

* * *

When Zuko and Aang returned to Iroh's 'soon-to-be-tea-shop,' Toph was waiting patiently, even though it was night time. Zuko was wearing middle-class Earth Kingdom robes, as was Aang. But, Zuko had carefully combed his black hair towards the front, covering his scar, and Aang was wearing a straw, wide-brimmed hat to conceal his blue arrow.

Zuko was holding a paper, which he placed on the wooden table next to a teapot. The paper read: _Dear Uncle, I have gone with Aang and Toph to search for my mother. Please don't come after us, or look for us. This is something I really need to do. Please take care of anything that I, as the Firelord, am supposed to do. And make up an excuse for our absence… Thank you! Oh, and Aang would like you to take care of Appa and Momo for him. We came to the conclusion that we couldn't take them with us. Love, Zuko._

"Twinkles? You sure about not bringing Appa and Momo?" Toph asked. She remembered when Appa and Aang were separated…and it was definitely_ not_ a pleasant experience. For anyone.

"Yeah," the Avatar responded. He seemed more mature, and was more decisive than he was before. Aang was still Aang, but a bit different.

Toph grinned, and then punched both Zuko and Aang in the shoulders. "Let's go then!" she shouted.

And so started the search for Ursa.

A/N: Hey, thanks to everyone who read this far. I am hoping to continue this fanfiction for some time. I am debating with myself on one thing though... Should I, or should I not, include shipping moments? I don't want to lose fans if I have some shipping moments for a shipping that my fans don't like... xD Anyways, review please!


	3. Chapter 3: First Piece of Information

First off, Zuko felt that they should ask around the city they were in at the moment – Ba Sing Se. They had a good night's rest in the soon-to-be tea shop of Iroh, and then woke up early the following morning. Zuko didn't want to bump into Uncle Iroh; he knew that his Uncle may want to try to stop them.

The rays of the golden sun started to peek over the horizon, shedding a soft yellow sheen on everything in sight. Even as early as it was, there were a few people bustling about, and a few merchants with street vendors. Aang sighted an oddly familiar man. "Hm…I think I remember him from somewhere. But where?" He shrugged, walking on. The man he saw could be heard shouting, "Get your cabbages! Get your cabbages!" His dark eyes sparkled with glee and pride, and even love, towards his dear cabbages.

Zuko took a deep breath, and decided to make a move. He chose a random, nice-looking person, and said as politely as he could, although his face was strangled with obvious impatience and even worry, "Excuse me? I have a quick question…"

The woman he tapped turned around and said, "Yes?" She seemed slightly irritated from the disturbance on her errand.

"Have you seen this person?!" Zuko demanded as he pulled out a picture, a painting, of his mother, Ursa, from his robe's hidden pocket.

The woman shook her head, and replied, "Sorry, but no. I've never seen her before. Are you some sort of bounty hunter?"

"Oh, no, no! She's not a criminal! At all! Sorry for taking your time…" Zuko apologized hurriedly. The woman turned on her heel and stalked off without a word.

Aang and Toph chuckled, and Zuko glared at them. Toph murmured, "Hey, Hothead, you probably seem like an annoying stalker to anyone you ask."

"Yeah!" Aang chimed in. "Or, people might just run off. You look pretty tense… and impatient."

"Not helping!" Zuko muttered with a scowl. "You guys should ask around too."

"But we don't have an image of your mother…" Aang said slowly.

"I have one other painting of her," Zuko said. He handed a parchment to Aang. "You better not lose it! I only have two."

Aang nodded solemnly, and Toph asked, "So we just ask if anyone's seen her?"

"Yes, that's it I guess," Zuko replied. He really hoped they would find her soon. "Let's meet back here in an hour to check on our progress?" Zuko suggested.

"Okay!" Aang and Toph said in unison. Then, Zuko strode in one direction while Toph and Aang walked together in another direction.

* * *

Some time passed, and Toph and Aang hadn't made much progress. The people who actually listened to their questions didn't recognize the kind woman in the picture. Toph sighed; this was getting pretty tiring. Aang tapped on a man's shoulder and said, "Excuse me? But, do you know this lady?" Aang showed the man the picture. Toph looked at the person Aang was asking with her blind eyes.

"Hm… she looks a bit familiar…" the man said as he scrutinized the small painting. "I saw her somewhere…but I didn't know her name, I don't think so anyways…"

"Do you remember where you saw her?" Toph inquired patiently.

"I…I don't know…" The man obviously recognized Ursa, but had trouble remembering where he saw her.

"You've got to remember!" Aang shouted. "Think! Was it here, in Ba Sing Se? Did she talk to you? What did she say?"

"Um… Uh…" The guy wrinkled his nose in thought, thinking hard. He tried to grasp the old memories from the undoubted many years before. "I remember she was some sort of wanderer…or something. She was looking for a place, and soon left the city. Yes, I think she was in Ba Sing Se! But she left shortly after coming… I remember her because of her kind eyes and gentle voice when she greeted others. But, she didn't have that hairdo when I saw her." The man gestured at the picture Aang was holding. "Hey, isn't that a Fire Nation style?"

"I don't know," Toph said forceably, not wanting to answer any questions. "Thanks for your help."

The man nodded, squinting his eyes in thought. He was still trying to remember when he saw that lady. The poor guy had trouble with his memory.

* * *

"Zuko!" Aang called. Aang and Toph ran over to the meeting place, where Zuko was just headed towards..

"Hey, " Zuko greeted.

"Did you get any information?" Toph asked.

Zuko replied with a sad shake of the head, "No…"

"Haha, well, we did!" Aang responded happily.

"Really?!" Zuko's mood considerably brightened up.

"Yup!" Toph replied with a smirk. "Some guy said he saw your mom in Ba Sing Se before. But she left after arriving. And apparently your mom had a different hairdo."

"She left? Well, then where to?" Zuko asked.

"Dunno," Toph said. "The guy didn't really 'know' her. I guess he just saw her?"

"Well, that doesn't help!" Zuko groaned in exasperation.

"At least we know she was here…" Aang said softly.

"I don't see why you don't want your uncle to help, Hothead," Toph sighed. "I think he could help a lot. He's wise, and he would probably know what to do."

"I can't go back now! Not after I already left the note…" Zuko said, defending his cause. "Let's just keep asking. Ba Sing Se is a big city; it's the capital of the Earth Kingdom. I'm sure there are other people here."

Aang adjusted his straw hat and tried to be optimistic: "I think we had a pretty good start! We know that your mother, Ursa was it? Well, she was in Ba Sing Se at one point!"

"Let's meet back here at noontime then," Zuko said. When Toph and Aang nodded their agreement, they split up again.

**A/N:** For this fanfiction, I do not think I will continue it that long, like my other two 'chapter-book' fanfictions. This one will probably have five chapters, or less than ten, anyways. I have an idea for how to end it, so this will be a rather short fanfiction. I hope you read it to the end, anyways! Reviews are loved!


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected Reunion

When Zuko, Toph, and Aang all met back at noontime, Aang munching on a vermillion-colored fruit that shimmered like a gem in the sunlight. Zuko and Toph had already finished their lunches.

"Any more information?" Zuko asked with impatient tingeing his voice.

Aang replied between bites, "Sort of."

"Some people said the same thing as that first guy we talked to," Toph explained. "We also heard some people say that they thought they saw her in the city not long ago, but quite recently!"

Zuko nodded and murmured, "Yeah, I heard something like that. Someone said that they saw a lady that looked like that in the marketplace just a few days ago. But…didn't she leave Ba Sing Se?"

Aang threw the core of his fruit over his shoulder, and said, "Well, she could have come back to Ba Sing Se, couldn't she?"

"True…" Zuko agreed after a moment. "I hope she didn't leave again."

"We should start searching for her right here, then," Toph suggested. "In Ba Sing Se, I mean. But…wouldn't that mean we can just go back to Iroh? He's in this city anyways… So, we could have him help us out."

Aang nodded, agreeing with the blind earthbender. But, Zuko's pride wouldn't let him agree to it. He shook his head fiercely and shouted, "No! We can do this ourselves! Besides, even if he could help, he needs to take care of any duties that I left behind. I'm the Firelord now, aren't I?"

"Shh!" Aang hushed. "You don't want to reveal your identity, do you?!"

Zuko stiffened a bit, and looked around himself cautiously. Luckily, nobody on the streets seemed to notice. They were bustling about, doing their normal activities.

"Let's search as a group?" Toph proposed. "If she's here, we don't need to split up."

"Okay," Zuko approved. "Where should we look first?"

"Over there! Your mother might be staying in an inn, right?" Aang asked.

"Yes!" Zuko said, starting to walk towards the short, quaint building with the wooden and engraved doors. Toph and Aang were sauntering close behind.

Zuko pushed open the double doors, and slipped inside the inn. Toph and Aang looked around; they were in a sort of receiving room of sorts. There were some unlighted candles along the walls, and a few lanterns hanging from the short ceiling. The rich mahogany-wood walls were polished smooth, and the inn looked expensive despite the fairly petite size. An embroidered tapestry of some badger moles were hanging on the wall. A teenage girl was standing behind the counter that was in front of the pretty tapestry.

Aang looked up and tugged on Toph's arm and held on tight. "Look! Look!" he trilled excitedly.

"What, Twinkles?" Toph replied grudgingly.

"Check out that cool tapestry!"

Toph waved her free hand in front of her face and pointed out, "Blind!"

"Oh," Aang blushed; he often forgot that Toph was blind.

"Let go of my arm now!" Toph ordered, and Aang obeyed. Toph heard Zuko's strong voice echoing in the room as he asked the counter-lady if she had seen his mother. He showed her the picture he had with him. The girl took a sip of a cup of tea that she had with her as she examined the image of Ursa. Zuko fiddled a bit with the hair combed over his scar as he waited in anticipation for her answer. The girl put down her cup of tea down on the tea tray by her hand, and she twisted a strand of her loose hair around her finger. She had slightly messy brown hair, with chin bangs framing her face and some untidy bangs upon her foreheads. Two long braids started right under her ears and were flipped to the front, going down all the way to her slim waist.

"I think I saw her somewhere nearby, but I'm not exactly sure. She's not in this inn though, sorry…" The girl averted her olive-green eyes from the picture to the guy who asked her.

Zuko abruptly stopped fiddling with his hair. "Oh, that's all right," he said, although his voice sounded quite forlorn. _I'll just have to keep searching; there are other inns in Ba Sing Se._

But, unluckily, Zuko's 'fiddling-with-his-hair' caused part of his scar to show. Toph and Aang walked closer to the counter, now standing beside Zuko. "Let's go look somewhere else then," Toph grumbled.

"Wait!" the girl at the counter said. "Th-that scar…" She pointed at Zuko.

"Ah!" Zuko was a bit taken aback. He hadn't realized that his scar was showing. The girl reached out with her hand, and pushed back his hair, revealing his full scar. She gasped, and covered her mouth. And then, Zuko recognized her.

"Jin, is that you…?" he asked. He didn't need to ask; it was obviously her. _Why didn't I recognize her earlier?! _he wondered. _I guess I was so intent on finding my mom that I didn't realize anything…_

"Who?" Toph and Aang inquired in unison.

"Li!" Jin shouted in glee, climbing over the counter and giving Zuko a hug.

"Li? Did she mean Zuko?" Toph asked.

Aang responded, "Uh…I think so."

"And are they…hugging?" Toph questioned for confirmation as she felt the action with her earthbending feet.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm not sure if you spell it as "Li" or "Lee," so sorry if I misspelled it. Anyways, I love Jin! She's one of my favorite characters, and I am sad that she only appeared in one episode. So...in my fanfiction world, I decided to bring her back! I hope this doesn't confuse anybody... and before anyone asks, no, I do not ship Jin and Zuko. I don't really ship Zuko with anybody.

Reviews are loved! And please do keep on reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Heading Back

Zuko blushed as Jin hugged him. "Um…" He didn't want to push her away, since that might hurt her feelings, but it was feeling kind of awkward. Especially in front of the Avatar and the Blind Bandit.

Jin let go of Zuko and then asked, "Are you looking for your mother around here?"

Zuko nodded.

"I hope you find her soon! Won't you just stay and chat a little longer?" Jin asked. Her eyes sparkled and danced excitedly; she couldn't believe she saw Li again. To be honest, Jin didn't think she would see him again…after he disappeared without a trace. She had no idea why, either. Jin still didn't know that Li was actually Prince Zuko, the new Firelord.

"Oh, I suppose we could chat for a little bit…" Zuko answered.

"Ahem?" Toph cleared her throat loudly. "Are you gonna introduce your girlfriend or what?"

Aang wondered, _Is she really Zuko's girlfriend? Or past lover of some sort? I thought Mai was his girlfriend…_

This was getting to be a bit confusing for Toph and Aang.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Zuko yelled on impulse, without thinking.

"I can tell you're lying!" Toph sang out with a smirk.

"Jin, that came out wrong!" Zuko said hurriedly, ignoring Toph. He was afraid that he might have hurt Jin's feelings, since her face showed a bit of sadness. "I just thought you forgot about me…and so, I didn't want anyone to assume anything."

"Oh! I understand!" Jin's face brightened up and she giggled, her face adorned with a large, cheery smile.

_She's the opposite of Mai, _Toph and Aang both thought in unison.

"Oh, where are my manners?!" Jin suddenly exclaimed. "Would anybody care for some tea?" Jin gestured at the teapot on the countertop.

"No thanks," Toph replied.

"Same here," Aang said.

"I'm fine," Zuko said to Jin. "So, you work here now?"

"Yes!" Jin answered. "I work here every day after lunch until around dinnertime. So, you'll know where to find me!" Jin smiled again. Since Li no longer worked at the tea shop, she didn't know where she could find him…but now, he would know where to find her.

"Do you have any idea of where my mother might be staying?" Zuko asked.

"Hm…Well, last time I saw her, she was near that place… Um…I'm not sure what it's called, but it had a sign that said "Soon-to-be a New Tea Shop!" A tea shop! I can't wait!" Jin giggled. "Maybe you could work there?" she joked.

Zuko felt his stomach twisting. "Wait…could you point out where that building is…?"

Jin explained, "If you exit this inn, and you take a right, you keep on walking, and then the soon-to-be tea shop will be on your left."

Zuko felt himself heat up angrily, but he somehow managed to maintain his temper.

"That's where we just were!" Aang exclaimed! That soon-to-be tea shop was exactly where Iroh was planning to open a tea shop, and where Sokka had painted that talent-lacking picture of everyone.

"So, we're going back to where we started?" Toph breathed out heavily, blowing some of her long bangs up for a moment as she rolled her blind eyes.

"Thanks! We'll go there," Zuko said. "I hope I'll see you later, Jin…" Zuko doubted he would see her again, though.

"I hope so too!" Jin said with a grin. "I hope so too…" Jin thought that Li would definitely visit her, now that he knew where she was.

Then, Zuko, Aang, and Toph left the quaint, little inn, taking a right, and continuing along the path and through the bustle and hustle of people in the early afternoon.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey! This may be the last update for, not only this story, but for all my fanfictions for a while. School is starting soon...and you know what that means: HOMEWORK. Ugh... Anyhow, I just decided to update this Avatar fanfic first. Once school starts, I won't be updating for a while. But don't worry. I haven't forgotten about the fanfictions. I'll try my best to update once in a while... Feel free to Private Message me! Bye, and I'll see you next time our typed words meet up!


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